PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Benjamin Franklin's Tercentenary will be celebrated with major events in the U.S. and around the world, announced Conover Hunt, Executive Director of The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary (B.Franklin300) at a ceremony today in the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial at The Franklin Institute. Hunt outlined several events, including plans for a major exhibition that will open at The Franklin Institute in October 2005, and travel to five cities in the U.S. and abroad.
Henrietta Holsman Fore, Director of the United States Mint, accompanied by Ralph Archbold, Philadelphia's own Benjamin Franklin, led fifth grade students from Russell H. Conwell Middle School and senior citizens from four area senior centers in performing an experiment in flipping coins. The United States Mint at Philadelphia provided newly minted 2004 pennies. The experiment was a preview of a major global experiment with students from around the world that The Franklin Institute will conduct on the anniversary of Franklin's 300th birthday on January 17, 2006.
Said Director Fore: "The legacy of Benjamin Franklin is a national treasure. He wanted our coins to reflect the wisdom of words and the United States Mint is proud to uphold this tradition by striking 'Liberty', 'E Pluribus Unum', and 'In God We Trust' on every coin we mint."
The Franklin Institute's Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts demonstrated the science of penny flipping and discussed the probability of chance. "Flipping coins is the ultimate representation of 50/50 chance," said Pitts. "It either will be heads or it will be tails."
The Franklin Institute President and CEO Dennis Wint, Chairman, Franklin Tercentenary Consortium and Co-Chairman of the Federal Commission, opened the program.
The exhibition announced today will feature the finest collection of Franklin materials ever assembled for viewing. More than 250 priceless works of art, scientific and historic artifacts, and Frankliniana will travel to five locations in the U.S. and abroad. Franklin, a self-made man and self-taught genius, overcame his humble origins as the son of a candle maker to become a world-renowned scientist, diplomat, essayist, and inventor whose name and accomplishments inspire audiences everywhere.
Other events include the restoration of Franklin artifacts in critical condition, the development of a comprehensive database of Frankliniana, the creation of a global website offering information and programs about Franklin and his world, and a calendar of commemorative events worldwide.
Members of four Philadelphia senior centers (Center in the Park, Philadelphia Senior Center, West Oak Lane Center, and Marconi Senior Citizen Center), were specially invited to participate as teachers and mentors to the schoolchildren, to remind everyone that many of Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments in the sciences and in politics occurred in the second half of his life, after he turned 42 and retired from his printing business.
January 17, 2006, the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth, will mark the high point of a multi-year international celebration. The Federal Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, along with a consortium of five Philadelphia Franklin-related cultural institutions (The American Philosophical Society, The Franklin Institute, The Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania), and scores of regional, national and international institutions, are joining forces with top foundations and corporations to coordinate world-class exhibits, special events, and educational programs that will be publicized to billions of people everywhere. Together, this public-private partnership will celebrate Franklin -- the embodiment of the American spirit -- using an approach that will maximize impact and minimize cost. This is the leading U.S. effort to commemorate this unique, multifaceted man. Its website is www.franklin300.com.